Episode Shadow: Looming Shadow
by Kuro Shiro Sama-Sama
Summary: Shadow is sent on a recon mission gone south. Omega is offline. Rouge is down. Eggman's base is swarming with robots and an adversary with the power of the Phantom Ruby has the upper hand... Note: this is one part in the "Sonic Forces: At Full Force" Saga that rewrites the Rise of Infinite Comic as well as Episode Shadow to make them more satisfying in terms of story (PART 3)
1. Just a Recon Mission

**This is part 2 and/or 3 in the huge monolith of literary masochism I call "Sonic Forces: At Full Force" which attempts to rewrite the entirety of Sonic Forces in a way that feels satisfying and complete compared to the Forces we got.**

 **Where as "Creating a Phantom" attempted to rewrite Infinite's character arc and backstory in regards to how he became the Infinite we know him as, this fanfic follows up with Shadow and rewrites both Episode Shadow and the comic Looming Shadow. If you haven't read "Creating a Phantom" I suggest doing that now and then coming back to this fanfic.**

 **While working on this fanfic saga and my thesis on Sonic Forces in terms of story I had to figure out a timeline for all of the stories (the comics, Forces itself, and Episode Shadow) and it seems like Looming Shadow and Episode Shadow are happening at the same time. I'd ask why in the world we couldn't just get all of Looming Shadow in game form but that's another argument for another day. The first solution to fix the story would be to simply combine them and expand upon them in either comic or game form. Another discrepancy is that Episode Shadow/Looming Shadow have to take place 1 month prior to Sonic's defeat AT MOST – so why is the first level Park Avenue in a state of chaos? Eggman hadn't taken over the world yet! The timing is also way off. There could've been so much more game play to Episode Shadow is they had stuck closer to the Looming Shadow comic.**

 **Needless to say Episode Shadow drives me nuts in terms of story...**

 **So I hope you enjoy me gutting it and rewriting it as I present:**

 **Sonic Forces: At Full Force Part 3:**

 **Episode Shadow: Looming Shadow**

At her computer set up with multiple monitors strung together with headset on her head and a water cooler directly to her right, Rouge listened in for information sent over the radio to her by GUN while looking over multiple live feeds from GUN drones that were surveying the desert base Eggman's army was gathered in front of.

It was a base that – according to the Intelligence Division – had been left abandoned for months and had no real strategic value. It was no more than a replica pyramid taking up space in a dry, vapid desert and even though it was indeed an Eggman base, everything had been shut down and non-operational for months. She was told that agents were sent to investigate the base and the agents hadn't even been able to get the power up and running and trying to get any information off of the computers using SATA to USB adapters yielded no valuable information. No evil schemes, no schematics for new robots, no blueprints for the base – NOTHING.

Of course they took the opportunity to destroy a few of Eggman's things while no one was home which would surely have set the doctor back (an order from a chain of command Rouge had no part of). However it appeared Eggman had set up shop in that base again, a large army of robots being spotted traveling to the facility from an unknown location.

Over the past few months several teams of GUN agents had been sent to various Eggman bases only to find nothing there, the power not working in any base and finding no robots, no traps. Every agent reported that everything was fine and if they were given the order to destroy the place anyway, they did as they were told before packing up and going home.

The Mystic Jungle base also yielded no suspicious activity. Several teams of GUN agents were sent to the known Eggman base in that location and came back reporting no suspicious activity – the base already disheveled and in ruins due to rough weather conditions that buried most of the facility in mud which made it useless to Eggman anyway. Trekking through the filthy and mold-ridden facility to destroy the technology would be a waste of time for the agents on the ground so they were ordered to go home.

No Eggman activity for several months and now a desert base that a team had destroyed becoming fully operational again out of the blew. Rouge sighed, refilling a glass of water at the water cooler and rapidly typing out commands and information on her keyboard. After the agent hung up she called Shadow.

"Shadow, we've got a report from the Intelligence Division. They've located a base of operations that seems to be totally outside the chain of command for Eggman's army. There's a large-scale troop presence – suspiciously large for a place with no strategic value."

"And there's been no activity in any base for the past few months..." said Shadow. "I can't imagine the Doctor would do something like that without a reason but no other teams have reported any activity from Eggman or any of his other bases."

Rouge nodded, holding her headset to her ear and taking a sip from her glass of water. "No kidding. All this time without any activity whatsoever and then a large army in the desert? Definitely suspicious."

Shadow smirked. "This isn't going to be any ordinary recon mission."

"Omega's already been sent ahead of you, so link up with him on-site and make sure he doesn't cause too much trouble, okay~?"

"I'm more than enough on my own. I'll handle things my way."

Rouge giggled. "Omega said the exact same thing. You two really are peas in a pod." she felt Shadow rolls his eyes at such a comment. "Where are you now?"

"I'm on my way." Shadow skated through a town he didn't know the name of. A town clean, pristine and lined with townhouses and parks. No doubt him rushing through the streets – trying not to go too fast as to cause collateral damage – was getting the attention of the townspeople, all stopping in their places to watch him for the few seconds he was there before going back to their mundane activities.

"E-123 Omega here. Extermination proceeding without incident. No problem to report."

"Extermination?! This is supposed to be a recon mission! You can't go making a big scene!" Rouge scolded Omega over the radio though her scolding was ineffective.

Shadow sighed, swerving through traffic before jumping off of a large hill onto a sky bridge that connected two buildings across parallel streets together. "You should've known better than to send Omega on a job like this."

"Omega, Shadow will join you shortly. Remember, your job is to infiltrate the facility and see what Eggman and his army are up to."

"I am more than sufficient on my own. Eggman's forces outside of the base have already been annihilated. Infiltrating base now..."

Rouge sighed, hands on her head and elbows touching the keyboard on her desk. "You're hopeless..."

Shadow had to enjoy the rapport Team Dark had with one another as he hopped across rooftops and sky bridges to get to the coordinates Rouge had sent to him.

…

Omega shot down the doors of the base lining the walls with a barrage of bullets as he walked. Every turret, every trap door or wall, every other robot in loyal service to Eggman shot down with no mercy. He furiously stomped down several corridors to locate Eggman and shooting everything in sight only to find that he wasn't there... It angered the murderous machine, risking his circuits going up in smoke.

He took a short break to reload and report to Rouge once again

"E-123 Omega here. Extermination proceeding without incident. No problems to report. Currently looking for Eggman. Will eliminate him on sight."

"Omega, I know you have beef with the good Doctor but you can't just KILL him!" Rouge pleaded. "Whether you like it or not you have to keep him alive. Won't seeing him rot in a jail cell be more satisfying than straight-up MURDER?!"

"Negative. Eggman must be eliminated. Eggman WILL be eliminated." he cocked his arms back, guns reloaded and ready to blaze through the facility once again.

Shadow popped in. "And people call ME edgy..."

"Shadow?! Where are you right now?" Rouge asked, desperately hoping he was close by so he could talk some sense into the machine without mortality that was E-123 Omega. "I need you to make sure he doesn't commit some awful war crime on my watch..."

"New enemy type detected. Combat ID unknown. Mission: defeat Eggman. All other obstacles will be eliminated."

"Wait, what? What are you talking about Omega-?!" a loud static caused Rouge to keel over and scream in pain as her ears couldn't handle the awful sound – something too high pitched yet too low pitched that were moving in such a rhythm enough to make her rip off her headset (though that didn't help, she could still hear the sound due to her sensitive hearing).

"Rouge? ROUGE?! Rouge, come in! Are you alright?!" Shadow shouted over his communicator, being the only normal sound Rouge could hear and tolerate.

"I'm... I'm not alright..."

"What was that static?"

"I... I don't know but-." Rouge tried to hold back the urge to vomit, forcing water down, wiping her mouth before putting the headset back on once the noise was gone. "Omega? Are you there?"

"Position coordinates lost! Current location unknown!" his voice turned to a normal robotic static that her ears could tolerate.

"Omega?! What's going on?! Respond!" Omega's signal disappeared completely, his side of the call was disconnected and no matter how much she forced him back in, no sound could be heard – a sign that his communicators were damaged beyond repair. "I've lost Omega's signal..."

Shadow looked down at the graveyard of mechanical monstrosities that surrounded the pyramid base. "I'll head to his last known coordinates now." Shadow smirked. "Are you sure you'll be okay, Rouge?"

Still trying to fight the nausea that her anxiety brought back at full force she grumbled. "I'll manage. Just find Omega and provide support."

"Take care of yourself." Shadow hung up, wanting to give Rouge a break and some time for herself, sprinting to the doors of the facility at the speed of sound – blowing away the robot wreckage into oblivion. "So much for a recon mission."

 **Chapter End**


	2. The Jackal

**Apologies for not uploading in forever. Enjoy this short chapter and prepare for chapter 3.**

 **Episode Shadow: Looming Shadow**

Placing a foot on the face of the mechanical husk that was E-123 Omega, a masked jackal wagged his tail slowly and elegantly as red cubes floated in the air and smoke arose from the robot's joints. Overlooking his dirty work: the sparks from the machine, the ruined paint job that chipped away and charred with the heat from the blast, it's eyes flashing a distress signal that wasn't going through to whoever owned it or whatever server it was connected to and it's overall inability to speak any words – mere static cries for help to show how weak it was.

"This power truly has no rival, it is peerless... And I am the only one to have such a power..." the jackal mused. "How wonderful~. Even Shadow can't-."

Interrupting the lone jackal's speech with a bullet from a wrecked robot's arm canon Shadow stood firm. "What did you do to Omega?!"

The jackal stood still, looking directly at Shadow with a smirk behind the mask. "Look at you showing concern for this machine. He'll be fine. He just saw too much." he kicked Omega in the head, one of it's eyes breaking and getting smashed inward.

"Omega was a member of my team!"

"And now your teammate is dead, the same way you left my squad dead..."

"Squad? Dead?" Shadow lowered the canon. "Who are you?"

The jackal mused. "I do not blame you for not remembering. I've long abandoned my unsightly face. The person I used to be was too WEAK. How could I expect you to remember me when I failed to leave an impression by being so pitiful?"

Shadow began to remember that mission months ago in the Mystic Jungle. Months before the facility had been reported nonoperational and uninhabitable due to the mudslide he'd been sent to investigate a similar bout of Eggman activity. Robots had been spotted working there day and night rebuilding that base, clearing out trees and otherwise destroying the ecosystem.

Then the memories of the jackals resurfaced... Time and time again they had tried to murder him but he'd thwarted each and every one of them with vague memories as to how they met their ends. He could only recall one meeting their death with a Chaos Blast – unintentional but it happened. They'd been completely fried on one side of their body. He had a mission to do. Casualties happen all the time on ground missions. He left them there. No use to mourn a figure he didn't know – no use to mourn one on Eggman's side. That was the nature of working at GUN. It toughens you up, makes death just apart of the job and who was he to mourn people he didn't know.

Even if he had never joined forces with GUN, he'd been numb to the idea of death since awakening on this planet. His best friend – dead. His creators – dead. Omega – lying dead before him with low beeps coming out of his sound box trying to call out for help (though Shadow knew Omega well enough to know that the robot was cursing him out for either arriving too late or arriving whatsoever).

The immortal hedgehog growled. "You're the one from Mystic Jungle!"

The jackal clapped slowly and said in a suave voice: "Ah, so you do remember... I've changed since the last time I saw you. Since you MURDERED my squad I've begun working solo. And you know since you murdered my squad, I think it's best if I murder yours. An eye for an eye, no?"

"Omega had nothing to do with your squad." the growling got louder, bearing his fangs and eyes filled with hate as the need to avenge Omega began consuming him. "Besides, the members of your _squad_ were all unorganized. They all died because of their own inexperience! If you really feel the need to charge me with murder then I'm only responsible for the one who was burnt with a CHAOS BLAST!"

The room went red.

…

"Shadow? Shadow?! Speak to me!" … "SHADOW?!"

 **Chapter 2 end**


	3. Awakening

**Apologies for the break I ended up taking. Originally chapters two and three were going to be a single chapter, but I felt the need to split them up for a few reasons related to writing and something weird I discovered when uploading chapters to this site that forces me to upload the chapters in a new way. But anyway: enjoy the chapter and hope the wait was worth it! We're going to experience a lot of feelings for the next few chapters...**

 **Episode Shadow: Looming Shadow**

Shadow was back at that town he didn't recall the name of, laying down in the middle of the street and looking up at the sky with both Omega and Rouge looking down at him – the bat looking particularly concerned.

"Shadow?! Are you okay?! Get it together already!" she shook his shoulders and forced his eyelids even further open than they already had been and waving around a small flashlight to see if he was responsive.

He quickly sat up, grabbing her arms and grunting. "I'll be alright. Don't cause a big scene."

Around them were several passers by of the human and mobian variety. Some were on their cell phones uttering about calling 911 to get the black hedgehog some help, others looked on frozen in fear either due to Shadow's condition or at the sight of Omega. Cars stopped in traffic. Lessons in schools stopped being taught. All office productivity took a nose dive.

Omega looked down at him with his cold robotic stare that was attempting to show concern for a teammate's well being while Rouge was doting on him, hugging him as tightly as she could – her breasts rubbing against his white chest fur. The whole town and everyone in it seemed to come to a total halt all for a black hedgehog lying in the middle of the road.

"What happened to me?" Shadow asked, head feeling light and only vaguely recalling being on a mission and having to catch up with Omega. "What of my mission? How in the world did I forget everything?"

"Don't worry about it Shadow! All that matters is that you're alright!" Rouge dismissed his frustration with his memories, breasts pressing up against his chest fur more no matter how subtly he tried to assure her that he was alive and okay.

"Rouge, seriously stop! Don't cause a scene!" he bit her ear gently enough to get her off of him but hard enough to assert some level of authority for her to take him seriously.

"Agent Rouge was concerned about you. You fainted from exhaustion: likely a side effect from being overworked." Omega said coldly, extending a hand to assist both the bat and the confused hedgehog off of the ground. "The ideal solution would be for Shadow to rest, remain stress-free and recuperate. He must not be sent on missions during this time."

"But my mission! What happened to me?!" Shadow demanded, a hot sensation crawling in his skin and heating up his veins with unease. Hands on his head and trembling as he searched for more of his memories, he asked of them: "What was that red light? What happened in Eggman's base? Why can't I remember it all?!"

Again, Rouge hugged him are tightly as possible. "Shadow, Eggman is gone... You defeated him months ago..."

"Affirmative. Eggman was killed by Shadow the Hedgehog. Such a victory made headlines, proposals have been made to make Eggman's death a national holiday, GUN has one less terrorist to worry about." Omega explained. "Shadow was found serverely injured just outside of where Eggman had died. Shadow was in a persistent vegetative state for three months before waking up with memory loss. It has been two weeks since you were discharged from the hospital."

Shadow looked at his gloved hands, thinking he was seeing blood on them before blinking furiously and suddenly not seeing blood on his gloves at all. "I was in a coma?"

"Affirmative. GUN has insisted you take time to recover but you insisted on taking on an assignment."

"But since when was I in a coma? If I killed Eggman, I think I'd remember that!"

 _Like it or not, he's still a Robotnik like Maria. Not cut from the same cloth but still – I would've remembered something as important as killing Eggman! He probably would've used Maria against me!_

Rouge let him go, shaking her head and holding his hands. "Shadow, listen: I know Eggman is gone and you're still stressed out but taking on a job isn't the way to do it! You're stressing yourself out by trying to work again so soon after getting discharged!"

"But Rouge..."

She huffed. " _'But Rouge'_ nothing! You need to get your act together!"

"But Rouge-!"

"Shadow please... Let's just go home. You know where we are, right?"

"I don't remember..."

"Park Avenue. GUN gave us an apartment in Park Avenue as a base of operations. You an I have a high rise suite and Omega's been housed in the basement." Rouge said with a smile. "Certainly is a nice town. I've been taking you on walks in the park every so often so you could get your mind off of things."

"You've been taking me for walks?" Shadow scoffed. "I'm not your dog, Rouge."

 _Taking me bar-hopping or on a mission maybe but I don't think she's ever suggested going somewhere so mundane._

"Well you need to make like a good dog and do what I tell you. Relax a little. You've been through a lot these past few months. It's not like we've had it easy either." she said, flipping her hair and looking at Omega for confirmation.

"Affirmative. Rouge had bouts of unusual behavior when Shadow was hospitalized. She bought him flowers and chocolate everyday, sung him songs when she thought no one else was in the room, talked at nauseum about jewelry and precious metal refinery and talked about a nice house in the country side and-."

"Alright that's enough out of you, you bucket of bolts."

Obviously even when he was supposedly in a coma, Team Dark hadn't lost their dynamic in the slightest. He assumed he was trying to handle a mission solo or taken out on one of his 'walks' that Rouge was supposedly taking him on, somehow fainted or suffered a traumatic episode then lost his memory – several memories. Months and years worth of memories shattered and scattered around his mind.

Perhaps a side effect of being old.

Perhaps a side effect of having lived such an... _interesting_ life that probably shouldn't have been lived.

But he knew Maria would slap him for thinking that way.

"You ready to go back home, Shadow?" Rouge asked, squeezing the hedgehog's hand as hard as possible with the concerned look in her eyes coming back. "As soon as you fainted I told GUN not to let you on an assignment for at least a few more months. You really need to take it easy."

"I-I know I do..." Shadow kept looking at his free hand, seeing the rusty red color in between blinks. "I really murdered Eggman didn't I?"

"Shadow, don't dwell on it... Besides, it's not like you murdered innocent people!"

"Affirmative, Shadow caused no civilian casualties or collateral damage when eliminating Eggman."

Rouge smiled. "And it's not like you'd murder me, would you Shadow?"

He grit his teeth.

She knew he hated the idea of anymore of his friends dying. The fact that she would say something like that was hurtful. He couldn't afford to lose this team. Not Omega. Not Rouge. Not another Maria.

"Don't talk about me murdering you, Rouge."

She immediately shook her head, crossing her arms and looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Let's just get you home, okay?"

"Right..."

 **Chapter end**


	4. The Mundane

**We're going to be feeling some feelings with Shadow...**

 **Some of it is my general headcanons for the character, some of it connects to other Sonic fanfic(s) I'm working on where Shadow is a main character, some of it is exclusive to how I'd rewrite Forces and other bits are how I'd rewrite the universe in general should I be put in charge of it like the literary masochist that I am. But yes... We're going to feel feelings. All apart of the plan...**

 **This chapter also has a lot of Shadouge vibes, so if you're a fan of that pairing either romantically or in the "they have a strong/deep friendship" sense, you're going to like this chapter. If you like them as a romantic pairing though, you'll definitely get an extra kick out of it as the chapter progresses.**

 **(EDIT 5/16/18: chapter was updated as it was merged with what was supposed to be the original chapter 5)**

 **Episode Shadow: Looming Shadow**

Omega insisted on carrying Shadow back to the high rise GUN was renting out for them.

Being shuffled to so many different locations on so many different missions meant Shadow and Rouge would often get temporary apartments in the most mundane looking locations. Apartments were turned into a command center, Rouge having multiple computers set up alongside a mundane home theater, Shadow's weapons lining the walls – most of them antiques that he relegated to display only. They'd often share a bed out of convenience but on the rare occasion GUN did spring to get them a two bedroom they often had talks about what it'd be like to forgo their careers and live a more mundane life.

The closest they'd get to living mundane lives were the many boxes and plastic bags that filled their trash cans – take out from whatever restaurants they could find almost nightly. They rarely cooked their own meals. It was something the job wouldn't allow. On the rare occasion they did have the time to cook it was certainly an experience often resulting in ordering take out as a back-up should a butter-flavored roast chicken end up exploding in the microwave.

Rouge had the most hope of living a normal life without GUN. Shadow envied her for that.

He couldn't just up and retire whenever he wanted. He was immortal. He couldn't live a normal life without GUN – he actually owed the damn organization with his life after all the crap that happened in the past. If not for GUN having a literal gun to his head or his own biology and abilities making him unable to live a mundane life without government assistance he could've given them the finger and never turned back but what choice did he realistically have?

Granted the job wasn't terrible...

It paid well, had benefits, he got to travel for free, Rouge was there to help smooth the transition from wanted criminal hedgehog to government agent.

Maria wanted to come to this planet to live a normal, healthy life.

Should Maria had escaped, had she been cured and taken to the planet she admired from the windows of Space Colony Ark, what life would she had lived? What could they have done together?

He never would've left her – that's for certain.

However even if she had lived her life to the fullest, had children, grandchildren, and died peacefully Shadow would've still been left behind. He'd be left alone, possibly watching generations go by – Maria's descendants and those precious lives she touched just by being there, by being a kind and beautiful person – everyone would've eventually died until there was no one left alive that could remember her.

Shadow would've been left alone.

Immortal. Undying. Full of angst and the regrets that come with seeing so many people live, age and eventually die while you're the only one of your kind left behind to deal with the mess they leave behind.

It was the reason why he hated Rouge talking about her death. Omega could be rebuilt and reinstalled on new hardware but there was no way of getting a new Rouge. She _will_ die. She _will_ get hurt. She'll eventually leave him like everyone else. He'd grown attached to her thanks in part to the job but because of that he couldn't think about living without her. He sort of hated it...

Lost in his thoughts he didn't realize he'd been put on a leather couch worn in by several knees, feet and behinds of the past and covered in a blanket with the tags still on.

Rouge was arranging food on plates, pushing aside plastic take-out containers into the sink. It was when she spotted the hedgehog looking at her with a smirk that she turned away, looking shy which wasn't like her whatsoever.

"Is that the back up plan?" Shadow asked.

"While you were out cold I took the liberty of ordering in. We have hibachi chicken, white rice, some soup. But if you want something a little simpler we still have leftover pizza from yesterday along with a few slices of cheesy bread – I could heat those up for you if you want."

Stepping out from behind the counter, her body language seemed off. Normally she'd have a confident strut that seemed defiant of everyone around her, even those she called friends or allies. But she didn't have that confidence.

She walked to the black hedgehog with the nervous gait of a nurse watching over an old man on hospice care pacing back and fourth between machines and medical equipment. She leaned over him, studying his face and pushing him down when he tried to sit himself up.

"Rouge, you're being ridiculous. I feel fine."

"You're not fine. You haven't been fine!"

Against her wishes he sat up, grabbing her by the wrist and forcing her to sit alongside him.

However her expression was still melancholy. "Shadow..."

"Just tell me what you need to tell me. If you want to yell at me, go ahead but don't treat me like I'm dying!" he grit his teeth, upset by looking at her in this state. She wasn't herself. She wasn't HIS Rouge. "If it's my fault you're like this then tell me... Don't leave me in the dark. You're better than that."

Refusing to look at him, she spoke in a somber tone. "You were out for three months. You haven't been the same since you woke up." she sighed. "I'm even surprised you remember my name..."

"Why would I forget it?"

"You would sometimes wake up not even knowing who YOU were."

He scoffed. "Well, that seems to happen to me every so often so why should now be any different? Besides, you know I have issues with my memory."

She reclined, arm covering her eyes. She said nothing.

"Don't be get so worked up over it. I'm feeling a lot better than before. You don't need to take care of me anymore." he too reclined, looking up at the ceiling with his arms crossed. "You're my friend, not my nurse."

"You don't like the person I've become, do you?"

"Not when it's effecting you like this, no."

"So what do you think I should do about it?"

He shrugged. "Just go back to normal, I guess."

She smiled faintly. "But what even is normal?"

"Our type of normal when we don't have work to do is eating take out, watching movies and bitching about work."

"And other than that?"

"You dragging me to jewelry stores and giving me lectures about gemstones and cuts, me dragging you away from said stores because there's no way in hell I'd buy you jewelry."

"Anything else?"

He sighed, remembering the good old days and feeling nostalgic over impermanent homes provided by GUN and exploring the towns they couldn't stay in forever. On the last days before they were required to move out to another location she'd be the one dragging him to every museum or tourist attraction around, taking pictures with a digital camera. If Omega came along he'd be the living camera being bothered by small children asking if he was a mascot they could take a photo with or sneered at by the paranoid masses wondering why the hell a robot was walking in the streets like it was nothing.

When the time did come to get the last boxes of dishes and bed sheets out of their apartment she always seemed so melancholy even though they both understood that they couldn't stay there forever. As foolish as it was, he promised he'd take her back to those towns if they ever had time – something that never failed to cheer her up.

"Why don't we take a trip together?" he asked. "I'm sure there are places you want to go back to, places you want to visit. Even if it's somewhere around here or across the ocean, I don't mind."

She looked at him, grabbing his arm with both hands and sighing in a love struck tone. "Do you mean it?"

"I want you to get back to your old self and I don't mind suffering through the mundane to do that." he brushed her hair with his gloved fingers. Just the fact she was smiling again made him at ease. At least on the surface, she was HIS Rouge again – playful, craving adventure, eager to do things in general.

And then he recalled Omega.

" _Affirmative. Rouge had bouts of unusual behavior when Shadow was hospitalized. She bought him flowers and chocolate everyday, sung him songs when she thought no one else was in the room, talked at nauseum about jewelry and precious metal refinery and talked about a nice house in the country side and-."_

Part of it seemed like things she would do but the rest seemed out of character. She knew he didn't have to waste her time doting over him like that – she should've known that things like that weren't necessary to keep him happy or under control.

"So what did Omega mean when you were talking about some house in the country or whatever?" he needed to keep her happy, change the subject even if it was embarrassing – just as long as she'd get back to her normal self.

Again she sighed in a love struck tone but her smile turned into a pout. He pushed a button of hers. He was going to pay though this time he'd take the punishment. "I-It was just something I thought of. You were asleep for a very long time and I just wondered... I thought about a lot of things... About life... About who I am and well, woman things I guess."

 _That's not an excuse she's ever used with me before._

"I was thinking we should have some quiet time together. Somewhere that wasn't in a hospital or in a government agency. You know..."

 _Is using "woman things" as an excuse some lame attempt at getting me to settle down?_ Shadow got a laugh out of the mere implication. It'd certainly be a way to keep her with him outside of work but Rouge wasn't a person that could be so easily tame so just the thought was...

 _That's not like you at all, Rouge..._

"Shadow, you're not going to leave me again are you?"

The question struck him as strange, but made sense given the context. That particular question sounded like something that'd come out of Amy, not Rouge. "I have no reason to leave you." he replied.

She leaned on his shoulder, smiling contently. "That's good. Maybe tomorrow we can take a walk?"

"Coffee sounds nice."

"We'll have coffee then."

"Jewelry store?"

"If you want to. I mean, if you don't mind stopping by one!"

"A little house in the country side?"

She squeezed his arm. "Just shut up and let me reheat dinner."

…

For days after that they'd been living a completely normal life.

No having to deal with GUN, no missions, no paperwork. Their work computers were put in the closet with all of the cables and peripherals that made them work efficiently. Their communicators were put away in the far reaches of the medicine cabinet where medication went to expire without even being opened. If anyone at GUN had any messages for them, Omega would come to their apartment directly and relay the message (which lately just consisted of a generic and unfeeling "how are you?" or "any updates on Shadow's condition?" from the higher ups).

Omega never went out with them, preferring to stay inside the high rise's basement or in their apartment playing video games or watching TV. In a world without Eggman, Omega was an angsty teen trying to find himself now that his main goal of killing Eggman was now permanently out of his reach. He even admitted to hating Shadow for killing the fat man once over dinner with his animal companions in their apartment, a bottle of rubbing alcohol in his hands like a human or mobian with a glass of wine or beer.

In a strange way it was charming to see Omega attempt to act more like someone made of flesh and blood.

He was told she'd been doing this with him since he'd been discharged from the hospital but no matter how many times she explained every event in detail he couldn't remember – something that frustrated him to no end and made several glasses shatter in his hands. Of course he had no reason to not believe her. He just felt bad for her – taking on this burden of having to be his constant caretaker...

Though now that he was aware of it and out of that dark place in the back of his mind (conscious or unconscious) he began to relax a little, each outing with Rouge feeling more and more like a date.

The bat would cling to the hedgehog's arm and suggest going numerous places around the little town of Park Avenue. Of course he didn't object – living through the mundane was actually doing him more good than bad this time around. He needed to see her go back to her normal self, to get his friend back.

It was obvious that she was trying to do the same to some extent – to get HER Shadow back. That explained a lot of the changes in her behavior: doting on him, taking him out on walks, wearing new outfits, taking more pictures of their outings together. It was sweet. It was sincere. To some extent, it made him enjoy their time together and made it less awkward.

On the other hand that still failed to explain other things. There were little things that were still completely off, something that the real Rouge would know that this Rouge didn't:

She didn't serve him coffee the way that he liked (just a bowl of coffee beans alongside a small cup of normal coffee or boiling water).

She seemed to have an issue with him watching anime, which wasn't normal at all as they shared a few shows in common. She even joked about cosplaying as a character he liked, prompting him to break a pair of craft scissors in half and sharpening both blades as a very lame joke that she appreciated.

She blamed a lot of her mistakes and fumbles on simply being a woman which was probably the most alarming of all. That wasn't an excuse she'd use – not even as a code or "polite" way of alluding to something else.

Even more alarming and out of character for her was the fact she wasn't obsessing over jewelry and no mention of the chaos emeralds came out of her mouth.

He would've confronted her about these things but simply stayed complacent.

He didn't want to upset her or make her worry too much.

He wanted to test out this mundane existence to see if living this way was possible this time.

He needed to see if the theories brewing in his mind were true or false.

He thought of Maria's wish for him to make the world a better place and be happy.

And in a world without Eggman he could actually have a shot at living a normal life or even finding a normal sort of happiness... right?

"You doing alright, Shadow?" she nudged his arm.

She noticed he was lost in thought again as she usually did and brought him back to reality, back to Park Avenue, back to the fountain they were sitting on the edge on while trying to figure out where they should go for dinner. For days they'd been living this mundane existence, going out on these walks and to dinners that felt more like dates.

Things got boring after a while – of course he'd drift off into his mind. He found comfort wandering around in his mind for several reasons but he knew he couldn't dwell too much on it. He especially couldn't bring up every single thing he was thinking about with Rouge...

Still, the concerned bat got his attention and demanded to know if he was okay. "What are you thinking about?"

Shadow shook his head. "Nothing really important. I've had a few things on my mind lately but it's nothing to worry about. I wouldn't want to worry you more than I already do."

"But I like knowing what you're thinking!"

He smirked, crossing his arms. "Well, it's just a little out of character for me to say and I'm not sure if you'd believe me."

She pouted, rubbing her face against his like a kitten wanting attention. "Of course I'd believe you! Just tell me what it is!"

This again... This emotional back and forth – the shy and clingy act and the act that made her feel like the actual Rouge...

 _Keep it together Shadow..._

He took a deep breath, face neutral despite his wavering feelings of suspicion, doubt and joy.

"We've had a lot of time off of work and you've been really nice to me since I got out of the hospital. Granted, I can't remember every single thing that's happened but you're still here."

"It's like you said the other day: I don't have a reason to leave you." she sighed in content.

"And I have no reason to leave you." Shadow held Rouge's hand, watching her blush and look away. This was a typical reaction of hers even to the smallest displays of affection he showed her. It was odd. Cute in a way – certainly a side of Rouge he didn't normally see that often but still not normal. It wasn't _her_...

"Shadow..."

"Yes, Rouge?" he tried to curb the urge the laugh.

"You're being weird again..." she smiled a bit, avoiding his gaze.

A small laugh escaped his lips. "You're acting weird too. You haven't been yourself recently."

"I haven't?"

"No... Not the Rouge I know..."

She squeezed his hand hard, burying her face in the crook of his neck – a woman on the verge of crying and expecting to be broken up with. Normally she'd never cry, she would never even cling to him the way she had been doing the past few days! She wouldn't stand idly by, being submissive and wanting attention from just one person. But even if this wasn't her – not the Rouge who kept him under control – it still looked like her... Watching her get so worked up over him still hurt...

 _Don't let it get to you... Get it together..._

He cleared his throat. "Rouge, you don't have to pretend to be happy. I know I've caused you a lot of pain and it hasn't been fair to you."

That part was true. He was normally so self sufficient. Being put in a coma for as long as he was couldn't be easy on anybody and getting caught up with the rest of the world was hard work.

He thought about anyone else having to take on the job Rouge put upon herself:

Amy would do this for Sonic – no doubt about that. Anyone with half a brain could see her doing that for him. Sonic might not want that sort of attention either but if he truly needed it he would suck it up and accept it.

Silver would do this for Blaze. Not only was he her personal guard but (from what Shadow could tell) the only real friend Blaze had back in her dimension. She too wouldn't necessarily want that kind of treatment but she'd make an exception for Silver. In this dimension Cream and Vanilla might give her similar treatment though Shadow didn't interact with them much to know or see it first hand.

The Master Emerald itself could possibly do the same for it's protector and the last echidna on the planet though Shadow didn't know enough about the Master Emerald too intimately to think what it may be capable of should anything horrible happen to Knuckles.

But Rouge didn't need to do this. They were close, but she didn't need to make him her priority.

If she were only doing this out of obligation be it because they spent a lot of time together on and off work then she was wasting her time in his eyes. She could've been out doing something more productive or been out there saving the world from any other threat, Eggman or otherwise.

If she were doing this out of genuine friendship and admiration then he was flattered but even then it couldn't escape the guilt he felt from forcing her into this role due to his own incompetence. Even if this was the reason she still could've been doing something else!

If it were something more then he wouldn't know how to react to it...

Even now: the mundane days and nights, the Rouge he called an ally, this Rouge that seemed out of character...

"You're going to leave me again, aren't you?"

She said it coldly and bluntly. She was trying to force the answer out of him by aiming at the heart first. She knew he couldn't leave – he wouldn't.

"No... No, that's not what I was going to say at all." another laugh escaped his lips, thinking back on his plan. "Quite the opposite: I want to get closer to you."

She said nothing, did nothing, absolutely no response.

Perhaps he quelled the beast or just established the calm before the storm. She was interrogating him again – subtly attempting to get information out of him with the most mundane actions and phrases. Even in total silence she was trying to get something out of him, she was just waiting for him to spit it out.

"I mean it's embarrassing and weird to say but spending time with you like this has gotten me thinking about settling down, retiring from my service at GUN, getting an apartment in some city. I've even decided on what I'd want to name my children if I had any."

"O-Oh... Is that right?" she let go of him and scooted away – a behavior he hadn't seen in her before.

Though part of him took a twisted sense of delight in seeing the roles be reversed with him being the clingy one and her being so shy and reserved, he continued with a grin on his face. "I told you once before, don't you remember? We talked about it once over a bottle of wine and our old penthouse in Station Square."

"I-I guess I don't really remember..."

"Pft, don't give me that."

"Shadow, you're embarrassing me..."

"The Rouge I know would never let me live down that conversation! You were bugging me about it and calling me soft for almost a week!"

She hesitated. "W-Well I guess I don't remember... You know a lot has changed since you were-!"

"I can't believe you don't remember! It's something I remember perfectly. Even Omega didn't let it go for about a year until he gave up on it." he squeezed her hand, probably causing her to have a small heart attack. "Besides, I think your choice in names were very nice – I especially liked the name Silver."

"Silver? Who is-? Shadow, what are you talking about?" she looked confused... They both KNEW a hedgehog named Silver. No reason why that name should be so foreign to her.

Shadow laughed. "I suppose I just found the name touching. It'd be a good name to give to our child if it was a boy."

"I mean... I-."

While it was fun teasing this Rouge into becoming a pink puddle of feelings and mush, this test did start out with a tough question on the first page – the material on said test being an actual conversation he and Rouge had once while en route to a mission and they were bored on a boat with nothing else to do. And though the conversation was so mundane and full of hopes and dreams neither could achieve at that time or in the present, it was still a precious and amusing memory he had of her, something he could refer to in order to prove whether or not his theory was correct.

He continued: "Of course if we ever needed a baby sitter we could ask Amy."

"Amy?"

"Although if we got Amy to babysit she would drag Sonic along and I wouldn't want him anywhere near my kid. I don't want him to be a bad influence on my son or daughter – especially not my daughter!"

"Sonic? Who is-?" she stood up, nervous gait, sweating bullets. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He stood up. "Tell me Rouge... Do you remember what name I was going to give my daughter?"

"Shadow, you're putting a lot of pressure on me... I mean, you're asking me something like this now? Shouldn't you give me some time to think it over?" she asked, visibly flustered and probably wishing she wasn't here right now and that this weird black and red hedgehog wasn't asking her to settle down.

He chuckled. "I guess I'm just that serious about you, Rouge. Just answer one more thing for me."

She whined. "If you're going to ask me to marry you then let me think about it at least!"

"I'll give you a hint: it was someone VERY precious to me... Someone that I'll never be able to let go of..." he looked at this Rouge's frightened face both red with embarrassment and white with terror. "If you can guess the answer I'll drop the subject. But you know, I guess I'm just excited too! I never thought I'd be able to live a normal life..."

"Shadow, you're rushing into things! Besides, this is all so sudden!"

"I know it's sudden, but I'm in love with you. Is wanting to settle down with someone I love too much to ask?" he walked toward the frightened creature while loading a pistol. "I mean you know me _so well_ and it's not like I have a shot at being with anyone else. You're the only one for me!"

"What are you doing with that thing?! Y-You're crazy! You have to be crazy to think that I-!"

"What was her name, Rouge?"

"Her-?"

"What. Was. Her. Name?" taking a pistol out from behind his back, he pointed it straight at her and grit his teeth. "HER NAME. NOW."

"I-I don't know, alright?! I don't know-!"

"Then... It's just as I thought..."

In the middle of a plaza crowded with other people going about their business, Shadow the Hedgehog shot a creature wearing Rouge's face as a costume point blank between the eyes. She fell back with her eyes wide open and frozen in terror and as her head hit the ground she disintegrated into red cubes.

 _You were never the real Rouge and this world is an imitation! But what for? Trying to keep me comfortable and make me live some lie I know I can't live?! You just wasted your damn time! You wasted my time! Oh but that was your goal all along wasn't it?!_

His vision began to fail him, seeing his gloves disappear and reappear between blinks, at times seeing his own fur turn into black cubes and having to hug himself to bring him back to his senses. He'd been right and it was scaring him. He murdered a Rouge – not THE Rouge but someone who wore her face. Even the act of doing something so heinous to someone in her skin shook him.

Even knowing now that he'd been right, it still tried to BE her and it tried to come onto him.

In this space that was trying to override his reality, he was teased with the possibility of a safe world and a normal life – something Maria could be proud of...

What an ugly world... What a truly awful and disgusting, disgraceful world.

And what a fool he was for thinking it could possibly happen.

 **Chapter end**


	5. Finality

**This chapter will get edgy... and maybe slightly erotic depending on how you read it. It's unintentional but you might get some Shadow x Infinite based on the content of this chapter. My interpretation of Infinite as a character in general is very suave and sophisticated (though with a lot of quirks) when he's not a sociopath (as you may have seen if you've read "Buddies"). And with that he sometimes gets the unintentional shipping vibes with other characters. This slightly foppish vibe that my interpretation of Infinite has runs the risk of fueling unintentional yaoi in any story I write him in, which in this case may be made slightly worse by Shadow's snark in this chapter.**

 **Anyway, this is the last chapter of my version of Episode Shadow for the "Sonic Forces: At Full Force" saga, so I hope you savor it.**

 **Episode Shadow: Looming Shadow**

Shadow opened his eyes.

He woke up unable to break out with hands and feet bound by metal holding him in place and an oxygen mask over his muzzle, still connected to an oxygen tank attached to the side of the table. Florescent lights forced his eyelids closed again, feeling cold despite the heat of the room and the linger stench of sweat indicating that he'd been lying on his damn back and held hostage like this for days or weeks on end and whoever held him hostage never bothered to give him a bath or throw a wet towel on him.

In a cold lab strapped to a modified operating table and surrounded by glass tubes and computer screens he was alone, confused and afraid (but unwilling to admit or show it).

A slow clap and foot steps coming closer.

"My, my, you lived quite a long time in that world. You survived much longer than any of the others. Tell me, did you like the little show I put on for you?"

Shadow looked to his left to find the masked jackal with his hands joined. "You again..."

"Thanks to the doctor I had quite a bit of material to go off of. The memories we dug up from that hunk of scrap metal also provided me with plenty of inspiration. So: did you like it?"

"You pretended to be Rouge..."

"Ah yes, I learned an awful lot about her from the scrap heap. Quite an interesting character that bat. Though I take it my performance wasn't to your liking? I admit I did play up the woman angle." from behind the mask the jackal licked his teeth in sadistic delight as he watched a weak and limp Shadow the Hedgehog struggle on a modified operation table – the rage in that bastard's eyes making him practically moan in a twisted sense of pleasure.

"YOU PRETENDED TO BE ROUGE!" Shadow growled. "All of it was a lie! I figured it out as soon as things got so _normal!_ Besides, you were so interested in acting the part that you didn't bother working on the backstory!"

"Go on. Give me your constructive criticism!"

"You messed up on day one: I could never kill Eggman. That's Omega's goal, not mine." he growled. "If I were to do something like that Omega would kill me as payback. He's a robot that doesn't obey the laws of robotics. Why do you think Eggman trashed him? Why do you think he has the capacity to hate so much?!"

"Ah, yes. I'll make a note of that."

"Cut the crap. What do you actually want?"

"I've already gotten everything I needed." the jackal swooned. "I must say it was getting boring just watching you sleep for so long. I mean, of course I was the one who put you to sleep but I was waiting for this as well... I waited so long to talk to you like this that I'm floored! Truly Shadow, I have no idea what to say! I thought this day would come and I'd talk with you for hours and hours about world domination and blowing up the moon! But sadly, I have no idea what to talk about now... Those topics just sound boring..."

Shadow lay still, vaguely recalling his defeat as well as Omega. "Start by telling me how you 'put me to sleep' and where Omega is."

"Oh, I disposed of that machine a long time ago." said the jackal. "And as for you, I see no reason to answer that question – you don't have the right to give me orders."

Shadow smirked. "Acting all tough now that you've gotten my attention and all for some petty revenge? Pft! You really are weak."

Without warning there were gloved hands around his neck squeezing the life out of him, the jackal's weight crushing his pelvis and torso, a single yellow iris drilling into him with that murderous stare.

"Me? You're calling me WEAK?!" his grip tightened, stone on his chest glowing as though corresponding to a heartbeat as he attempted to squeeze the life out of his prisoner.

"You're not going to kill-." Shadow said as claws started digging into his skin.

"No, I won't kill you. In fact I could never kill you, Shadow! What fun would simply killing you be?! That'd be letting you off easy!" he let go. "I have plans in mind."

He got up, a kick in his step like an actor on a stage and his tail swaying back and forth in a slow but clearly happy if not pleased sort of way. No one could see the huge smile he wore behind the mask, practically swooning as he heard Shadow's coughing and groans of discomfort that came from being choked. He could salivate all over the floor like a hyper puppy if he weren't dignified enough to restrain himself!

"You see Shadow, I really must thank you for what you've done to me... It's rather strange, but without you I would've never become the person I am today! It's thanks to you that I am truly happy... Not to mention how barely keeping you alive for the past three weeks has given me a great deal of pleasure."

"Three weeks?"

"Ah yes, going on a full month very soon." the jackal said with a hand on the Phantom Ruby in his chest. "I know it only felt like two weeks at most in that world I've shown you but you've been here for almost a month. At first, I surrounded you in total darkness with a few stray noises here and there – you were asleep while being asleep, no big deal~! I focused heavily on writing that story with some assistance from the fat man to make something nice and convincing once you woke up in that reality. After that giving that world – that story – life was no effort at all. It was just a matter of keeping you invested and giving you a reason to stay. Why else do you think I played the role of an innocent woman who just wants her man to get better~?"

"You disgusting piece of-!"

"You're in no position to oppose me... Besides, that's not the only thing I got out of you being trapped in that world! Consider it my gift to you! After all, you've given me so much, Shadow! Not only can we have this conversation without interruptions or conflict but you've also given me every last bit of data me and the fat man could ask for!"

"He's already had part of, if not most of the data available on me for years – what more could he want?!"

"Just the little things here and there... It was mostly for my sake though. I couldn't completely go off of our only other meeting prior to this or that fat pig's interpretation of you. I needed to get to know you personally... In immense detail... All by myself..."

The jackal playfully hid behind one of the large tubes like a school girl in love.

Shadow bit his lip. "Heh. If you wanted my DNA you should've bought me a drink first."

"Oh it wasn't your DNA I wanted... Oh no..." the jackal growled. "It was your mind and your memories I needed the most and I must say I'm very pleased with what I found."

"Stealing my memories and we're not even engaged! How rude!"

"Oh I was VERY engaged. Just looking through all of those memories swimming around in your brain was priceless! I bet even Maria would-!"

At that moment Shadow felt himself filled with rage. At first he impersonates Rouge then DARES to invoke Maria's name! The bastard! He felt himself shaking, teeth grinding, blood boiling and the need to kill this jackal grew stronger each second as he pushed himself to get up and out of his bindings! How he'd love to tear the jackal to shreds and turn him into a fur coat, rip that mask off his face and look him dead in the eyes while he skinned him!

Sadly he could barely move...

"What did you do to me while I was asleep?"

The jackal walked up to him, placing the nose of his mask up against Shadow's own nose and breathing heavily. "Well I did mention barely keeping you alive, didn't I? I've had you on and off fluids for weeks! I couldn't afford having you die but I couldn't stand the thought of you getting too strong and running away from me, Shadow~!"

Worst of all, when the jackal backed off he took out a brilliant green gem out from behind his back...

"I also found this on your persons. Is this one of the mythical Chaos Emeralds? I always thought they were an urban legend or some artifact in a folk tale. Never thought I'd see the day where I actually get to hold it in my hands..."

"It's not like that damn echidna is doing his job..."

"So the legends about the echidnas protecting the emeralds are true as well? How interesting..." Infinite looked at his reflection in the polished emerald, admiring his mask. He sighed. "Well, if we live in a world where all legends are true then that certainly makes me question a few things..."

"Like what?"

Infinite shook his head, arms and emerald at his side. "Nothing important..."

Somehow he sounded disappointed as though coming to a revelation in the middle of his evil scheme. If this were any other terrorist, the ideal move would be to appeal to their humanity – ask them about their friends, their family, what kind of goals they want to achieve outside of their crimes but unlike the criminals GUN stopped in their tracks the jackal was different. Any move that could be used on a normal criminal could be a fatal decision.

Shadow closed his eyes, head back. "You don't seem satisfied."

"What?"

"You don't seem satisfied with what you're doing."

"It's nothing."

It was nothing he could remember clearly anyway, the influence of the ruby turning the late members of Jackal Squad into blurs that were calling out a name completely unfamiliar to him as he looked at himself in the ruby. It made him uneasy. Giving the gem to the fat man would be a better decision.

Shadow turned his head toward the jackal, trying to recall the mandatory training in 'deescalating a situation' that he failed numerous times before his superiors let him off the hook. "You seem uneasy. It might help to take a break, think things through... Think about what you want versus what others want from you..."

"What I want?" the jackal asked with a tilt of the head. "What do you mean?"

"Forgetting about all of this, going outside, taking a breath of fresh air outside of a cold laboratory... What do you want from the outside world?"

"Out... side?"

"I have plenty of connections on the outside, so if it's within reason I can make it happen... So what do you want? Education? Government work? A pardon?" Shadow offered, thinking of every possible option another officer or agent might suggest when trying to negotiate a terrorist into surrendering. "Of course, we'd also give you medical services if necessary."

The black and white blurs were screaming and barking in the back of the jackal's mind – a pack of wild dogs yipping like puppies for their damn mother! He couldn't understand them! He couldn't understand what they would've wanted with him! What he wanted was for them to shut up and go away!

"I don't think I ever got your name... You have a name, don't you?"

He didn't have a name...

He didn't think so...

If he did, he couldn't recall it.

Only barking...

Loud, relentless barking that was slowly turning the world red...

"You seem distressed..." Shadow muttered. "Tell me what you need and I'll help you!"

"No..."

"Everyone at GUN can help you if you just gave them a chance!" Shadow recalled Maria... _'Give everyone on that planet a chance to be happy'_ "You can become a new person if you peacefully surrender. If you let me go, if you leave this place – hell, if you betray Eggman and turn him in you could receive a pardon and you'll go free! We can help you. You just need to let us work with you and work with us in return!"

The world now covered in shades of scarlet the jackal focused on the hum coming from the ruby in his chest, reminding him of his mission. "You cannot help me, Shadow..."

In the back of his mind, the hedgehog was praying that his beloved human friend would protect him and somehow ease the tension – perhaps to make another heartless person see the beauty of life on this planet and the joys that came with living as she saw it despite her condition and pitiful life on Space Colony Ark. "I CAN."

"No... You cannot..." his tone changed again... The distressed tone he had before went away in a single inhale, the confidence and clarity returning in his inflection. "You're unable to help me, Shadow. You're unable to help the world now so your offer is useless to me..."

"Of course I can help you! I've got-!

"I care not for your connections. You destroyed my life and made me who I am today! You made me as powerful as any man could hope to be and I see no reason why I should surrender that to you!" he covered his chest as the ruby whispered sweet nothings into his ear. "You should be more concerned about yourself, hedgehog!"

A monitor on the wall was turned on. On the screen was the shaky camera work of a rookie cameraman with no idea how to film or focus on their subjects. Nothing but blurry visuals of cities and explosions with the camera occasionally being dropped and having to be picked up. The audio was crystal clear... Acts of terrorism left and right. Bombs going off, fires ravaging through towns and nearby forests, people screaming bloody murder as they flee for their lives...

When the camera DID decide to focus it was on a black and red figure with a machine gun gunning down a bank, looking at the security camera with a smirk as bullets bounced off of bullet-proof glass...

All at once Shadow felt his very being going dead cold while melting, Maria's memory screaming in pain at actions committed by a doppelganger who wore his skin and committing these atrocities in his name while being filmed every minute of it! For the past month he was asleep while this clone took his place and ruined the reputation he'd built up over the years. GUN would be convinced their top agent went rogue again... No doubt he was being hunted down...

Going back now without the risk of imprisonment...

The bastard...

The bloody bastard...

Writhing in rage while strapped to the table the jackal seemed to moan in pleasure. "Go ahead. You can yell at me. But it won't do you any good."

It wouldn't and he knew it. The hedgehog grit his teeth and mourned his reputation in silence without shedding a tear.

"Are you surprised?"

No response.

Infinite rolled his eyes.

Again, no word from the hedgehog.

The monitor was shut off.

"You know, I thought I'd see you get angrier... I wanted you to feel more pain. I wanted you to know how I felt that day. I wanted and STILL want to see you suffer and yet..." the jackal sighed, shaking his head and tossing the Chaos Emerald against the wall. "I'm bored of you, Shadow... I can't believe I'm saying this but you actually BORE me! It'd be a waste giving you one of my illusions now!"

Shadow didn't give him the pleasure of a response, silently mourning his former life.

"What I think I'll do is putting you in cryosleep and just _maybe_ if you're a GOOD little hedgie then I can give you a nice dream of my own creation! What do you say?!"

He said nothing.

"Actually I think that sounds like a great idea!" the jackal licked his teeth, a hand around Shadow's neck not to choke him but to tease him with the mere possibility that he could be choked. "The next time I give you a nice dream, I'll be sure to take your constructive criticism to heart..."

Nothing... No reaction whatsoever. Nothing except that bored and disappointed, stoic and cold expression that was now plastered onto the hedgehog's face! How boring... How disrespectful!

"You have absolutely nothing to say to me, Shadow?"

Silence.

"That shocked by what you've done? I truly hope it's eating away at your core you disgusting, vile creature..."

More silence.

"I do want you to say SOMETHING though... At least ATTEMPT to acknowledge my existence?!" the jackal growled. "After all the trouble I went through to get you here, to have you all to myself, you're boring me YET AGAIN! What does it take to get your DAMN ATTENTION?!"

He flipped the operating table over, hearing the loud crack that came with the hedgehog's skull caving in on itself. Watching the blood seep into the cracks on the tiled floor and ripping his mask off of his face he knelt down next to the bloodied hedgehog underneath the metal.

After a menacing laugh he taunted. "The fat man told me you could heal your wounds – told me that you were effectively immortal! I mean, I didn't MEAN to push you like this but I guess now would be the perfect time to see if it's true, huh!?"

Some groaning (presumably in pain) but no words. Shadow simply bleed, the oxygen mask on his face having done lopsided due to the crash, limp limbs that lost their muscle due to weeks of weightlessness and the bare minimum of life-saving and stabilizing drugs and fluids.

The jackal waited for something to happen but thanks to childish impatience he flipped the table over on it's side, undoing the cuffs that kept the hedgehog bound and watching him drop lifeless to the floor. He kicked him in the stomach repeatedly...

"Come on, Shadow! You really aren't going to say anything?! You're not going to do anything?! What's with you?! You think I'm still WEAK, don't you!?"

He watched blood pour out of the hedgehog's mouth, a grunt or a grumbled and pathetic squeak occasionally escaping his lips. The black creature had absolutely nothing to say, taking the abuse without resistance and this lack of action or reaction bored Infinite senseless... This wasn't what he wanted.

The ruby allowed him to recall Jackal Squad clearly, the dying words of his friend with the bandanna he wasn't allowed to recall the name of but seeing him beaten and bloodied in that god-forsaken jungle all the same! Every single member of his squad met a brutal end – Shadow was to blame!

But having him here now, doing absolutely nothing but accepting his punishment and bleeding on the tiled floor was so BORING. Such vengeance gave the crazed jackal no satisfaction.

He sighed, picking up the hedgehog by the tuft of white fur on his chest now accented with red. His pupils rolled into the back of his head. He was a furry and bloodied ragdoll...

"So... You're just doing to die on me now? How pitiful. It doesn't look like you're healing either... Does it not work? Can you not heal anymore? Answer me you fool!" he demanded, shaking the lifeless body. "Shadow? You're not seriously done are you?"

The door to the lab opened, a concerned Doctor Eggman looking at the mess on the floor and the mess that was Shadow the Hedgehog held up by Infinite and looking like his neck was about to snap.

"Infinite, what have you done?!" exclaimed the doctor, the jackal dropping the body on the ground and looking away

"I thought you said he could heal his wounds – that he was immortal."

"He is! Or at least he should be!" Eggman immediately felt sorry for his grandfather's experiment, carrying the creature over his shoulders despite the mess. "We're putting him back on life support whether you like it or not!"

"It's not my fault he was weak."

"You were the one who got him into this state!"

Infinite smirked. "I know. Isn't it great?!" and then he frowned again. "I'm bored... I didn't expect him to be that physically weak. You should've seen him earlier! He was talking! He was growling! He looked like he wanted to murder me but he couldn't move!"

Eggman turned toward the door, making his exit. "I should've never left you alone with him..."

…

"Maybe I just shouldn't be left alone..."

 **Chapter End**


End file.
